05 April 2007

the book of general ignorance

ksa and i had many laughs with this book. not only was it entertaining, but i liked that it presented the historical basis of things, and covered various view points. here's what intrigued me the most:

contrary to what trivial pursuit says (i never liked that game anyways), the great wall of china CANNOT be seen from the moon;

champagne was invented by the british, not the french;

chicken tikka masala originated in glasgow;

the swiss are the only europeans to eat dog meat;

the phrase 'survival of the fittest' was not coined by darwin, but by herbert spencer;

camels evolved in north america;

there is a difference between the tallest and the highest mountain.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The book of general ignorance derives from my favourite TV quiz show, QI, which is hosted by the very same Stephen Fry that wrote the book. The last round in the show is called General Ignorance.

If you're interested I have 4 seasons lying around, which are not only jam packed with very interesting facts but are fantastic entertainment as well.